Fencing is commonly used in public and private locations to provide security by barring entry to the enclosed locations to provide privacy, or to improve the aesthetic appearance of the area. Most fencing has a fixed structural design. The fence remains permanently in essentially the same condition of appearance and use after it is installed in the desired location. Expensive maintenance is often required to preserve the original condition of the fence. Any substantial change in the function, use or appearance of the fence usually requires laborious activity such as reconstruction or painting. These prior fence constructions are not adaptable for performing additional functions and are not changeable or adjustable to provide the fence with a new or different use or appearance.
The arrangement and appearance of the fencing are particularly static or difficult to change when the fence is constructed of plastic materials such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and the like, a type of fencing that is becoming increasingly more prevalent. Plastic fencing typically must have a selected design and be manufactured, such as by molding or extrusion off-site at a factory. Only minor variations in the structure of the PVC or other plastic fencing can be accomplished at the site where the fence is to be installed to vary the use or appearance of the structure or adapt the structure to perform additional functions. Major changes in construction or design would require costly changes to the manufacturing process to create the different parts of a fence at the factory. The costs of storing or inventorying the number of different component parts having different functions or appearances is also very substantial.
The color and appearance of PVC or other plastic fencing or outdoor structures such as railing and decking are also difficult to change. Plastic materials are susceptible to degradation in sunlight due to the effect of ultraviolet rays. A plastic composition including titanium dioxide, a well known white pigment, provides a measure of protection from this potential degradation of the material when exposed to an outside environment. As a result, plastic fencing is usually a white or light color when treated with titanium dioxide or the like to minimize the possibility of degradation that may occur.
Some of these same disadvantages also arise with other outdoor structures, such as an outside rail or a deck that is constantly exposed to the elements. For example, it is difficult to change the function or appearance of an outdoor rail or deck component once it is installed in place, particularly if the structure is constructed from a plastic material such as PVC. Substantial costs would also be involved in attempting to manufacture and inventory the different components needed to selectively change the function or appearance of the structure.
Many current designs for fencing, railings and decks are also difficult to use with electrical wires, or fluid or air lines, and cannot readily accommodate the addition of useful attachments such as hangers for tools or utensils, work or support surfaces or the like. Such additional features and functions are particularly difficult to add to a fence or other structure manufactured at an off-site factory from a plastic material such as PVC. Many prior structures would have to be substantially reconstructed or replaced to be useful with electrical wires, fluid lines or various attachments.